Dispensing container and closure therefor



H. M. HILL March 31,-- 1964 DISPENSING CONTAINER AND CLOSURE THEREFOR Filed Oct. 18. 1961 INVENFOR United States Patent M 3,127,085 DESPENSING CUNTAENER AND CLOSURE THEREFOR Howard M. Hill, Hamilton, Va. Filed Oct. 18, 1961, Ser. No. 145,875 6 Claims. (Cl. 229--17) This invention relates to fibre containers for the packaging of liquids such as milk, and has particular reference to a sanitary container of an improved construction designed to be fabricated in a milk processing plant at high speed.

In some respects this invention constitutes an imp-rovement upon the container disclosed in my copending application in the United States Patent Ofiice under Serial Number 98,400, now Patent No. 3,029,009, granted April 10, 1962.

An object of this invention is to provide a container having the body, top, sanitary shield, and a closure for a dispensing opening in a single blank.

Another object of this invention is to provide a blank for a container for liquids that is economical of material.

Another object of this invention is to provide a closure for a dispensing container that is easily opened and reclosed without tools or instruments of any kind.

A further object of this invention is to provide a container top closure that gives little opportunity for the retention of moisture on the top.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention may be apparent as it is better understood from the following description which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the blank from which the container is made with the lower end of the blank broken away;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the blank from which the container is made after folding, perforating, and gluing operations to produce a plug and shield, with the lower end of the blank broken away;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the upper end of the container after the body has been formed and the flange folded out;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the upper end of the completed container;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the upper end of the container opened for filling or dispensing the contents;

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view to a much larger scale taken along the lines 6-6 in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIGURE 6 but through the closure only, showing a modified form of closure;

FIGURE 8 is a section taken along line 88 in FIG- URE 7 through the plug only.

As a preferred embodiment of the instant invention FIGURES 1 through 8 of the drawings illustrate a container of rectangular cross-section comprising a tubular fibre body 11 having four side walls and closed at its up per end with an integral flat fibre top closure 12 with a filling and dispensing opening 13 closed by a plug comprised of the two discs 14 and 15 cut from the two plies at the filling and dispensing opening. The bottom end of the container may be closed in any suitable manner.

The blank 16 (FIGS. 1 and 2) is preferably cut from a web for reasons of economy. There is disclosed in FIGURES l, 2, and 3 a construction in the blank 'and the container that provides savings of material over the construction disclosed in my co-pending application under Serial Number 98,400. That application disclosed a container having flanges on the container body overlapping and encircling the top closure member. The present dis- 3,127,085 Patented Mar. 31, 1964 closure shows a construction in which advantages gained in the earlier disclosure are retained at the same time that substantial material saving is accomplished through the elimination of overlapping flanges.

The blank 16 (FIG. 1) is substantially rectangular in shape and scored vertically for folding on four lines 17, 18, 19, and 20. A horizontal score line 21 defines a narrow area extending across the top of the blank for folding outwardly to form a flat peripheral flange 22 at the top of each of the four side walls of the container. A top closure member 12 of rectangular configuration is integral with the side walls of the container and hinged to the upper edge of panel 23 by a score line 24 coinciding with top edge 25 of body blank 16. An auxiliary closure member 26 of substantially rectangular outline is integral with top closure member 12 and hinged thereto in a score line 27 co-extensive with score line 19. Auxiliary closure member 26 is divided into two substantially triangular sections 28 and 29 by a diagonal score line 30 extending from the intersection of edge 31 of top closure member 12 with vertical score line 27 to the intersection of vertical score line 32, which is co-extensive with score line 20, and edge 25 of body blank 16. Two narrow lips 33 and 34 are set off respectively from section 29 by vertical score line 32 and horizontal score line 35 co-extensive with edge 31 of top closure member 12. I prefer at this time to perforate disc 14 from top closure 12 and disc 15 from section 28 and to reinsert these discs in the openings perforated using a special die for this purpose. This operation is especially useful when the discs are not of the same size or are not of the same configuration as will be seen later. Discs 14 and 15 are positioned so that their centers will coincide when triangular section 28 is folded about score line 27 and adhesively attached to top closure member 12. -In this same folding and gluing operation disc 14 is adhesively attached to disc "15 in an area slightly less than that of the smaller disc in the case where the two are of unequal size or of different configuration. Triangular section 29 is then folded about score line 30 to assume the position shown in FIGURE 2. The upper surface of disc 15 will now be adhesively attached to the lower surface of triangular section 29 to complete the top closure assembly.

FIGURE 3 illustrates a step further in the manufacture of the container where the side seam- 36 has been glued and a flange 22 has been outwardly formed affording a ledge on which top closure 12 may be glued. In the next step this gluing operation is performed and the resulting finished container is shown in FIGURE 4.

To use the container triangular section 2? (FIG. 4) is lifted and hinged about score line 30. This action withdraws the plug composed of discs 14 and 15 (FIG. 6) from the dispensing opening 13 and the container may now be filled through this opening. (To close the container triangular section 29 is hinged in the reverse direction and pressure is applied over the point of attachment of discs 14 and 15 causing them to enter filling and dispensing opening 13 providing a tight closure therefor. Lips 33 and 34 may now be crimped under end seam ledge 22 for complete protection.

A variation of the last described closure has been shown in FIGURES 7 and 8 wherein the lower perforation and the resulting disc 14a is larger than upper disc 15a either on its entire periphery or at one or more points as in FIG- URE 8. This use of a larger lower disc causes a slight deformation of the hole through layer 28 as well as a slight deformation of disc 14a and a snapping into final position as shown in FIGURE 7 with resulting firm retention of the closure parts in the filling and dispensing o ening.

I claim:

1. A dispensing container of rectangular cross-section having four side walls, three of said side walls terminating at their upper ends in a necked-in area and outwardly formed flanges, the fourth side wall terminating at its upper end in a necked-in area and an outwardly formed flange and integral therewith a flap of substantially the same size and configuration as a horizontal cross-section of said container, said flap adhesively attached to said outwardly formed flanges, and integral with said flap a second flap of substantially rectangular configuration articulated to one edge of said first flap and hinged thereabout to lie in a plane parallel with said first flap and adhesively attached thereto in a triangular area defined by said edge of articulation, an angular line of fold parallel to a diagonal of said first flap, and another edge of said second flap intersecting said-angular line of fold and said edge of articulation; the remainder of said second flap folded back about said angular line of fold to lie in a plane above and parallel with said triangular area and having lips extending beyond said outwardly formed flanges of said container and folded thereunder; and a filling and dispensing opening perforated through said first flap and through said triangular area of said second fiap, and a plug closing said filling and dispensing opening.

2. A blank for a dispensing container, said blank comprising a substantially rectangular area scored vertically on four parallel lines of fold defining five side wall panels, three of said side wall panels of equal width and the remaining two of less than full width and designed to overlap when said blank is in folded rectangular tubular form, a horizontal score line defining a narrow rectangular flange forming area extending the full width of said blank, and a first flap of rectangular configuration and having side dimensions equal to the width of one of said three equal width side wall panels and extending from the upper edge of one of said three equal Width side wall panels and having an opening adjacent the lower right hand corner thereof; a second flap of substantially rectangular configuration integral with said first flap and hinged to one edge thereof in a scored line parallel with said lines of fold of said side wall panels and having a diagonal score line of fold extending from the intersection of said hinge line with the upper edge of said first flap to the intersection of the lower edge of said second flap with an extension of the vertical score line defining an edge of one of said side wall panels, and two intersecting score lines one vertical and one horizontal originating at the ends of said diagonal score line and setting off two narrow outwardly extending lips of a length substantially equal to the length of a side of said rectangular second flap, and an opening through said second flap in a position to register at least in part with said opening in said first flap when in folded condit-ion.

3. The blank claimed in claim 2 wherein bottom closure flaps are integral with the lower ends of said side wall panels.

4. The blank claimed in claim 2 wherein a disc perforated from said opening in said first flap and a disc perforated from said triangular area of said second flap are caused to remain in coplanar position respectively with said first and second flaps.

5. The blank claimed in claim 4 wherein said two discs have the same configuration and are positioned to have coinciding centers of area when said blank is in folded condition.

6. The blank claimed in claim 4 wherein said two discs are positioned to have coinciding centers of area when said blank is in folded condition, and one of said discs has a configuration differing from the configuration of the other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,020,680 For-rel Nov. 12, 1935 2,162,632 Meek June 13, 1939 2,217,142 Stedman Oct. 8, 1940 3,029,009 Hill Apr. 10, 1962 3,039,669 Hill June 19, 1962 

1. A DISPENSING CONTAINER OF RECTANGULAR CROSS-SECTION HAVING FOUR SIDE WALLS, THREE OF SAID SIDE WALLS TERMINATING AT THEIR UPPER ENDS IN A NECKED-IN AREA AND OUTWARDLY FORMED FLANGES, THE FOURTH SIDE WALL TERMINATING AT ITS UPPER END IN A NECKED-IN AREA AND AN OUTWARDLY FORMED FLANGE AND INTEGRAL THEREWITH A FLAP OF SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME SIZE AND CONFIGURATION AS A HORIZONTAL CROSS-SECTION OF SAID CONTAINER, SAID FLAP ADHESIVELY ATTACHED TO SAID OUTWARDLY FORMED FLANGES, AND INTERGRAL WITH SAID FLAP A SECOND FLAP OF SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR CONFIGURATION ARTICULATED TO ONE EDGE OF SAID FIRST FLAP AND HINGED THEREABOUT TO LIE IN A PLANE PARALLEL WITH SAID FIRST FLAP AND ADHESIVELY ATTACHED THERETO IN A TRIANGULAR AREA DEFINED BY SAID EDGE OF ARTICULATION, AN ANGULAR LINE OF FOLD PARALLEL TO A DIAGONAL OF SAID FIRST FLAP, AND ANOTHER EDGE OF SAID SECOND FLAP INTERSECTING SAID ANGULAR LINE OF FOLD AND SAID EDGE OF ARTICULATION; THE REMAINDER OF SAID SECOND FLAP FOLDED BACK ABOUT SAID ANGULAR LINE OF FOLD TO LIE IN A PLANE ABOVE AND PARALLEL WITH SAID TRIANGULAR AREA AND HAVING LIPS EXTENDING BEYOND SAID OUTWARDLY FORMED FLANGES OF SAID CONTAINER AND FOLDED THEREUNDER; AND A FILLING AND DISPENSING OPENING PERFORATED THROUGH SAID FIRST FLAP AND THROUGH SAID TRIANGULAR AREA OF SAID SECOND FLAP, AND A PLUG CLOSING SAID FILLING AND DISPENSING OPENING. 